Oil climbs as firm demand absorbs ample supply

Written by Christopher Johnson @ Reuters

Oil prices were stable on Tuesday, supported by strong consumption but weighed by ongoing high supplies from producer club OPEC and also the United States. Brent crude futures, the international benchmark for oil prices, were at $48.55 per barrel at 0130 GMT, up 13 cents, or 0.3 percent, from their last close. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were at $46.12 per barrel, up 10 cents, or 0.2 percent. In a sign of strong demand, data on Monday showed refineries in China increased crude throughput in June to the second highest on record.